What’s Right

Reflecting on What’s Right

You may be surprised at what starts to happen when you reflect on what is right in your world.

I meet people all the time and they immediately begin to tell me everything that’s wrong with their world. They talk about this and that and how somebody put that in front of them or their steak wasn’t cooked perfect, and they really start angsting about what’s not right in the world. And the same people that are angsting about all of this trivial stuff, live in beautiful homes, have healthy kids and lots of great things going on in their lives. It’s very easy for all of us to focus on what’s wrong but when you begin to always talk about the negative, you can fall into the trap of always having negative thoughts.

Imagine what would happen if instead, we all took the time to reflect on what is right in the world and look at our opportunities.

I’ve been blessed recently to meet a number of people in non-profits that are giving of themselves, like Tim Marks in Tampa who runs Metropolitan Ministries, an amazing organization that is using innovative means to change people’s lives and Nancy Laing, a young lady who is working with our veterans to teach them to transition into the private sector work world.

There is just so much going on that is right. My challenge to everyone who reads this is to reflect on what’s right in your world. When people ask me how I’ve achieved what I’ve achieved and been so successful, one of the main things I can think of that has helped me on my path is always reflecting on what’s right in the world.  We all have challenges – my father committed suicide years ago, my brother died of AIDS back in the eighty’s – there are all kinds of things that happen in our lives that are tragedies that we all have to deal with. But if, at the end of the day, you reflect back on what’s right with your life, it tends to create an aura around you and more right things begin to happen.

I work with a lot of different companies through Adjunct CEO and once we help companies get out of the way of their success and stop bogging that success down with their own self talk, we ask them to talk about and reflect on out what’s right with their business and how they can make it better with an attitude of smiling and focusing on what’s right in the world.  If they go to the next step and begin to consider what they can do to make the world right for everybody they touch, it makes a huge difference.

When you run into positive people, it can make your whole day better.

This past week I was in line at the grocery store buying groceries and this woman who was in her 80s or 90s got in line behind me. She had the biggest smile on her face and we started talking about what a beautiful day it was. I noticed she only had a newspaper and I asked her if she would you like to go in front of me and she said, “no I am way ok, right now I’m having such a great day I’ll just wait my turn and I’ll buy my newspaper,” and I stood there and I thought, “wow, how cool is this person who’s probably had a lot of chapters in her life that we can relate to, that we would angst about but she just had this beautiful outlook.” So, when I was checking out, I asked the cashier if I could pay for her paper. I quietly did so and left the store.  As I’m pushing my cart out, this lady comes up behind me fairly rapidly and she stops me, and she says, “you didn’t need to buy my paper today,” and I said, “you know what, you made my day so cool with what was right in your world. I really appreciate how your perspective on life is what’s right with your world. It was an honour and a privilege to buy your paper today.”

I try to reflect back about what’s right in my world every day. I have five sons and three stepsons and they’re all awesome young men. My number two step son is in the Air Force out protecting our country and I’m so proud of him for enlisting and taking that direction.

And all my other sons are following their passion and when I get to talk to them, I just smile about all the things that have gone right in my life. In my first marriage, my first wife raised our sons to be the men they are with my help but mainly her direction and she’s one of the things that is right with the world. My wife today – I cherish her to death – and she’s out helping her brothers and different people in her community and bringing smiles to them.

Take time today to look in the mirror and ask yourself what’s right in your world, my bet is that the list is pretty long, my bet is when you get up in the morning and you head into work or do whatever you’re going to do tomorrow reflect on what’s right with your life, what’s right with your world and it will put a smile on your face. Then reflect on what’s right in your family, reflect on what’s right in your community, reflect on what’s right with our country, because there’s so much right with our country. And be proud of everything that you come in contact with and go out there and be ambassadors of what’s right in your world, carry that attitude and make somebody else’s day special, so that they’ll be able to reflect on what’s right in their world. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll be amazed at what starts to happen in your world.

If you have any questions or need some help just email help@adjunctCEO.com.